Flowers and Brimstone
by Flora Winters
Summary: Hades and Persephone have a baby boy, defying Zeus' law.  So they have him grow up in the mortal realm, having him believe he is human.  Full summary inside.  Language, MM, OC, Violence Luke/Percy
1. Chapter 1

Flowers and Brimstone

Flora_Winters

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Percy Jackson series and I'm not making any money here either.

**Summary:** Hades and Persephone have a baby, but they had to secret him away to the mortal world where he grew up believing he is human. He sees dead people. Plants talk to him. The meds do nothing but make him sneeze. But, one day, while visiting a garden shop with his folks, he falls face first into a situation that cracks the enchantment which cloaks him from the realm of myth. As if being the adopted son of a preacher man wasn't bad enough, now he's running from a snaked haired woman, a goat demon, and people with scary swords. **Irreverence, Language, MM, OC, Violence**

**Chapter One**

It all started the day he picked up Jesus (much lighter than the stone man looked) and used him to bitch slap a snaked haired demon into a pond full of blue lotuses. But, we're getting ahead of ourselves. So, let's back up a step, rewind a few hours, and take a daunting trip to Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, for this is the place where it happened, the place where the enchantment surrounding him began to shatter like a stained glass window.

~OOOOO~

Christian Shepherd turned his face away from the dead soldier and stared out the car window. Watching and listening to a dead teen tell off the preacher behind the wheel wasn't helping him keep a straight face. Apparently the repealing of Don't Ask Don't Tell had set his dad off into spewing Leviticus all over the dashboard, which had ticked the dead guy off.

"You wanna know what really puts my dick in a vice besides a dumbass Christian, Chrissy?" The dead nineteen year old asked, sitting back beside him with a frown. "Stupid fucktarded terrorists. Always blowing up shit with their goddamn bombs. As if Allah and her four camels give a sandy fuck. Really pisses me off, man. I was going to get married, build a house, adopt children, and live happily ever after with my guy. But, oh no! Durka-durka Muhammad-Jihad had to come lalalalalalalala along and blow my fine ass up. It took me three years to get a body this smoking hot. Ripped, tan, and drop drawers gorgeous. Now it's all scorched, in several different pieces, and buried in a cheap ass pine box in an ugly ass cemetery. If I had known this, I'd have become a hairdresser."

Christian squeezed his eyes shut.

"Oh, babe," the ghost suddenly whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm…"

Christian held up his hand and just shook his head. He knew the army had been William's only option for getting to go to college. But, he'd never gotten to get that far.

_I'm going to join the army, Chrissy. Go to business school and get us the hell out of this damn town._

"Did you hear that, Christian?" His dad (Joseph Shepherd) asked, looking back at him from the rearview mirror. "Their blood shall be on their own heads. Remember that."

William growled from beside him, giving the fire and brimstone screaming preacher the finger. "Protecting bastards like him makes me wonder why gays even want to join the military."

"To protect the ones they love," Christian spoke without thinking.

William smiled. Pale and grey.

"What was that?" His mom (Mary Shepherd) asked, closing her Bible study book.

"Are we there yet?" He asked, giving the back of her head a good glaring at. All she did was read that stupid book. Oh, he hated it.

"Almost," his dad answered. "This year our manger is going to be wonderful. Life size and perfect."

Christian merely nodded. He looked over at William and just glared. He still hated him. He hated him so much.

_I hate you! I fucking hate you! How could you leave me? I wish I'd never met you! Please come back! I need you! WILL!_

He'd known.

He'd known the moment William had died.

He'd been in the garden, underneath the plum tree when the sharp pain stabbed his chest. A needle filled with liquid ice being injected into his trembling heart.

_Please come back! I love you!_

And he had.

Will had come back.

Walked right up to him at the funeral and smiled like an idiot.

_Well, isn't this awkward, babe?"_

He'd fainted. And Will had been with him ever since.

He'd thought listening to plants sing along with Lady Gaga was a sign of madness, but no. His boyfriend had come back and was always getting him looked at in funny ways.

"Have you taken your medicine, Chris?" His dad asked, stopping at a red light.

He nodded. "Two purple pills."

"You're just like a pill," William began to sing. "Instead of making me better, you keep making me ill, making me ill."

Christian continued glaring at him.

William grinned, but relented.

He had a beautiful singing voice. Think of Josh Groban. Elton John. The boy had never needed music. His voice was song.

"Good," his mom spoke, turning around in her seat to look at him. "I think you need to eat more, sweetheart. You've gotten so thin and pale."

This was true. He had lost weight and desire for sunlight. William was a ghost and it was hard to see him in sunlight. William was more solid in the dark.

He knew what he must look like to others.

Pale as bone.

Eyes greener than grass after a summer storm.

His hair is raven black and since he'd let it grow out, it's a nest of wild curls. His dad hated it and that's only one of the reasons he kept it long. The man didn't want him making a scene at church.

_You make me cut my hair and I'll show you demonic possession. Linda Blaire has nothing on me. The church will fire you before I'm even finished, Daddy!_

The reason he defies his father on the topic is because William loves his long hair and he would never allow it to be cut again. He would see the old man in the dirt before he'd relent.

"Can we get something to eat on the way back?" He asked her, ignoring the faces William was making at his father. Faces that would have gotten him slapped across the face back in the day.

"Other seventeen year old boys play ball and go to camp," his dad said, taking off through the green light. "All you do is stay in your room or mope around the house."

"His _best friend_ was murdered, dear," his mom said.

He caught the emphasis.

"That was two years ago, Mary."

"Shut up!" Christian yelled at the top of his lungs, causing his dad to hit the brakes. He was thrown forward, then back, fumbling to remove his seatbelt. "Don't you talk about him! Never talk about him!"

"Christian!" His mom cried. "What are you doing?"

He threw open his door, only for a horn to honk. A bus zoomed by, causing him to fall back inside.

"Stop," William said, trying to hold him down, but couldn't. His hands just went right through him. "Just stop."

He was so mad, he began to sneeze. The damn pills did nothing for him.

The grass.

The trees.

Flowers.

The dead.

"SHUT UP!"

His mom had crawled back and was now holding him in her arms. Her perfume was strong. It burned his nose, but her touch gave him sudden comfort.

"Calm down," she soothed, patting his back like one would a crying baby. "I know you hurt. I know. Mommy does."

Silence.

Complete silence.

_Will?_

"Will?" He called aloud.

"Present," the ghost said from shotgun.

"Shut the door so it doesn't get rammed off," his dad growled.

His mom did.

"You need God, boy," the preacher said.

"And you need to trim your nose hairs. Jesus! I could swing around on those things like they were vines," William laughed.

~OOOOO~

Christian knew he was unstable. He was still surprised he hadn't been locked up in a nice padded cell somewhere in a land far, far away. If it wasn't for his mom, he knew his dad wouldn't have thought twice about it.

_If you dislike me so much, why did you and mom have me?_

_You're adopted._

_What?_

_I thought you'd make a nice addition._

_MOM!_

"Stay here," his dad said, getting out of the car. "Mary and I will only be a moment."

"Your mother and I," his mom corrected, getting out as well. "Be back soon, sweetheart."

He looked out his window. Statues looked back.

"Creepy place," William said from beside him. "And I'm a ghost."

He watched his parents vanish inside and closed his eyes. A few moments of quiet would be a small blessing.

"Hey. Hey. Hey. Talk to me. Hey. We're alone now. Hey. Man, this place is huge. Maybe that dick will get lost in there and your mom will leave without him."

Christian smiled.

"You're beautiful when you smile, Chrissy. I just wish you'd smile more often."

He opened his eyes.

"And I wish you could touch me, Will."

"I wish I could touch your old man. I'd push him in front of a bus. BAM!"

Christian laughed.

"Heaven," William grinned. "That was a whisper of heaven right there."

"Stop," Christian told him, looking away. "I'm still mad."

"I love you."

Christian's eyes stung and he took a deep breath, holding back the flood that wanted to breach the dam he'd built.

"Wow. Those statues are so freaky. Don't they look freaky to you?"

He looked out the window again. Now that he actually looked at them, yes, yes they did. They looked so real. So very scared.

_Odd._

"They must have come out wrong," he said, pointing. "That's why they're half off."

"Hmm," William beamed. "Let's go explore."

Christian thought it over.

His dad did tell him to stay.

"All right," he said, getting out. "But, don't wonder off."

William made a face. "Me? Wonder off? Never."

Christian chuckled.

William happily sighed, but then held up a hand. "Did you hear that?"

He listened. "Hear what?"

"I thought I heard shouting," William said, walking by him.

"Dad probably mad about the cost of Jesus or something," he snickered.

"Let's go see."

Christian followed after the dead solider boy.

"Do you ever wish you could change out of uniform?" He asked.

William looked back. "All the time. I miss jeans and going barefoot."

Christian looked down. "Why don't you tell me these things?"

"I complain enough, Chrissy."

He remained silent and looked at the statues. So many looked as if they were screaming. Perhaps the nice ones were kept inside.

"Life before Death," William smirked.

Christian rolled his eyes and walked by his tall boyfriend, going in first.

~OOOOO~

"A koi pond with sunken stone koi," William called over to him. "What will they think of next?"

Christian shrugged.

Vines dangled down from the high ceilings and flowers grew wild. The place didn't look too well taken care of. Aunty Em should be ashamed. Most of the statues had moss on them.

"Would you look at this guy?" William said, standing next to a stone figure. "I think they made him with a hard one."

Christian looked at it. It was of a Spartan warrior. He looked about his age, too.

And yep. He had a stiff one.

William laughed. "Aunty Em is a perv."

He was just about to comment when he suddenly heard someone yelling.

"Annabeth! Percy!"

"Grover!"

Percy! Annabeth!"

"Grover!"

William made a face. "I knew I wasn't hearing things."

"No," Christian said, walking passed. "That's what I do."

William laughed. "You made a funny, babe."

"Come on," he said, running off down the yellow leaf path.

~OOOOO~

"I once had lovely hair. Hair so lovely and long. I was beautiful, too. So very, very beautiful." A woman's seductive voice hissed like serpents across a bed of jade green silk. "So beautiful, I caught the wondering eye of Poseidon. He is the reason your mother cursed me, daughter of Athena."

Christian parted a fiery red bush and peaked through.

_Mom?_

She was holding a young girl's hand and looked scared out of her mind.

A tall woman stood with her slender back to him. She was dressed in black leather and had a black scarf wrapped around her head.

"Your mother is the reason I am so alone," the woman crooned ever so sadly, reaching up to undo her headscarf. "Your mother is the reason I look like thisss."

"Don't look!" The young girl yelled, closing her eyes, putting her hand over them as well.

His mom did the same as the girl and his eyes widened when the headscarf came off.

"Is it just me," William said. "Or does that Muslim bitch have a head full of snakes?"

Christian couldn't move.

He hated snakes.

"What is the matter?" The snake haired woman asked. "Are you afraid? Come on. Sssneak a peak. I double headed sssnake dare you."

She laughed.

_Mom! Run!_

"Look at me!" The woman shrieked. "Look what your mother did to me!"

"Run Mom!" He yelled.

The woman spun around and her blue eyes glowed with fury. Even with all those snakes, she was still very beautiful.

"No Christian!"

The woman hissed, turning her back to him. His mom gasped and turned to stone right before his eyes.

"Mom!" He screamed, trying to get free from the bush.

He was stuck.

"Oh shit," William whispered.

"Still breathing like a real boy are you?" The woman asked, turning to face him once more. Her eyes glowed and her snakes hissed with sharp fangs. "Curious. Back in the forgotten times, even the mighty Kraken perished before my gaze."

She sniffed the air.

"Curious. I see you have a ghost with you. He is very handsome. Hair too short for my taste, but a lovely shade of gold."

William gave her the finger. "May all your snakes go lame, bitch."

"Run!" The girl behind the woman yelled. "Get out of here."

"No," the snake haired woman said. "Ssstay with me, my pretty."

"Come on," William said. "She'll hurt you."

"Medusa!" The girl yelled. "Leave the boy. It was my mom who screwed you over. Come make me pay for what she did to you."

_Medusa? No way._

"Daughter of Athena," Medusa seethed, spinning around. "I'll make you scream."

"Run! Get out of here now!" The girl shouted. "Go!"

Medusa ignored her. The girl was trapped by his mother's stone grasp.

"If I can't turn you to stone," Medusa said. "I'll find another way to hurt you, lovely locks."

"Over my apparition!" William yelled at her. "Run Chrissy!"

He did. With tears in his eyes, he ran.

_Mom…_

Medusa laughed and clapped her hands. Loud bangs echoed all around.

_Locks._

He was trapped.

All of them were.

Hands snatched him from behind and he cried out. He was spun around and those blue eyes scorched him once more. They glowed with such hate.

Snaked snapped at him and he struggled not to pee on himself. He was shoved to the ground hard.

"What are you?" Medusa asked. "You're no mortal."

Her eyes met his again and he felt himself breaking. She put a sharp heel on his chest, sniffing the air over him.

"You stink of mortal though," she said, looking down again. "Yet you're immune to my gaze."

He trembled.

"Speak!"

"You killed my mom," he stuttered and trembled.

"And your daddy, too," she laughed. "It was fun."

He felt faint.

_No…_

"Medusa!"

She spun around and he looked.

"Son of Poseidon," she greeted. "You're wearing my sunglasses. That's cheating."

The teen ran at her with a large sword and she ducked over backwards, sending him flying into a statue. It shattered on impact .

"Ouch," he growled, falling to the ground.

"Percy Jackson. The Lightning Thief."

"I ain't done it."

Christian rolled over. All the plants called to him.

_Use us. We'll hold her._

They were so loud.

Deafening.

"Do it," he called to them. "Hold her now. Do not let her go."

Vines grew and slithered at a tremendous rate. Concrete cracked and broke apart as they shot towards the gorgon.

"What's this?" She gasped, being restrained.

Percy laughed, only to be kicked in the chest by her heel. He soared backwards, landing on his back yet again. He didn't move.

Serpents bit into the vines, snapping them.

"I'll be free in just a moment," Medusa spoke, "And then I'm going to kick your a…don't you run away when I'm threatening you. Come back here, boy!"

He ran by statues, looking for an exit sign.

Medusa screamed in rage from behind.

"This way," William said, popping in. "I showed that girl and other guy out."

"Percy?"

"No. Grover."

"When I catch you, I'm going to pull all your lovely locksss out by their rootsss," Medusa hissed, stalking ever closer.

He suddenly tripped over a fallen form and fell flat on his face. With a moan he turned to see what it was.

He gasped, scuttling backwards.

_Dad…_

It was his father. Flat on his back, mouth open in a silent wail. A stone statue.

"Get up, Chrissy," William urged. "She's coming."

"Dad…"

"Run Chrissy! Now!"

His back bumped into something solid and he yelped. Looking up, it was Jesus starting down at him.

"Found you," Medusa said, coming around the corner, standing over his stoned father.

He gripped hold of stone Jesus and pulled himself up.

"You have such beautiful eyes," she said. "I think I'll pluck them out and wear them as earrings."

There was nowhere to run.

"Yo, cunt features," William called from the left. "How many dicks you got on your head? One for every cock you sucked? Athena has a sense of humor, huh whore?"

Medusa's eyes flared.

"I can't harm you, shade," she spoke. "But I can hurt you by harming him."

"No!" William yelled.

She darted forward, heading right for Christian with reptile grace.

Without so much as thinking about what he was going to do, Christian gripped Jesus with all his might and was going to try and pull him back over onto her, but that's not what happened at all. Jesus suddenly felt lighter than a piece of writing paper and his balance was immediately thrown off. He spun around with Jesus, striking Medusa with the statue as though Jesus were a baseball bat. Jesus exploded and Medusa went flying head over heels backwards. She landed with a huge splash in a lotus pond.

William just gawked.

"Damn, babe."

He dropped the rest of Jesus and fell to his knees. Thunder boomed in the distance.

"Let's get out of here before she…oh, babe. Don't cry. Please don't cry. I can't hold you."

"Hey!" A voice called. "Where is she?"

It was Percy.

William pointed. "In there, dude. Babe here knocked some Jesus into her."

Percy came over. "You're a ghost…"

"And you're jailbait."

Percy made a face, but then looked down at Christian. "What house are you?"

_House?_

_My house is gone._

"Guys," William said. "Guys."

A shrill shriek pierced Christian's ears and the lotus pond bubbled. Water exploded in a wave and Medusa landed before them. She had a slight gash across her forehead. It was quickly healing itself, too.

"You're all dead!" She yelled.

"Nope," William waved. "Just me."

She snarled.

"Duck!" William cried. "And hold the basil!"

Christian went down and Percy did the same.

A huge truck came crashing through. It hit a statue and the top part struck a once more stunned Medusa, sending her backwards into the lotus pond for a second dip.

"Woo!" William shouted. "That was awesome, too!"

Christian uncovered his head, wondering where the truck had come from.

"Grover!" Percy called. "Annabeth?"

The truck horn honked twice.

Medusa came up out of the water. "Son of Po…"

Percy was right there and he lopped off her head with one swift swing. The head rolled and the rest fell back into the pond.

Christian looked down into the gorgon's glowing blue eyes.

"Babe?"

Snakes snapped uselessly at his ankles.

He felt dizzy. The world was spinning.

"Catch him. I can't."

He took a step back and just kept on going back. He fell flat and was out cold amidst screaming stone.

**~To Be Continued…**

**Note: I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you did, please review and tell me what you think. I just finished the Percy Jackson series and loved it. I can't wait to start the new one.**

**~Flora**


	2. Chapter 2

Flowers and Brimstone

Flora_Winters

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Percy Jackson series and I'm not making any money here either.

**Summary:** Hades and Persephone have a baby, but they had to secret him away to the mortal world where he grew up believing he is human. He sees dead people. Plants talk to him. The meds do nothing but make him sneeze. But, one day, while visiting a garden shop with his folks, he falls face first into a situation that cracks the enchantment which cloaks him from the realm of myth. As if being the adopted son of a preacher man wasn't bad enough, now he's running from a snaked haired woman, a goat demon, and people with scary swords. **Irreverence, Language, MM, OC, Violence**

**Chapter Two**

A woman was seated on a throne carved from reddest ruby. She looked as if though she'd been sculpted from the purest of ice, seated on a blossoming rose. Her skin was so smooth and white, if sunlight were to dare touch her; she'd sparkle like fresh fallen snow. She was beautiful. So terribly beautiful, she couldn't possibly be real.

There was also a man beside her. His throne was much larger, for he was larger, and it was made from black onyx. He was incredibly handsome, but in a sinister, spooky way. He was pale as a corpse floating in water and his eyes were twin black holes that seemed to suck in all light around him.

He radiated power. Dark and frightening power.

He wore a simple golden band around his head, but the woman's was much more exquisite and inlaid with precious jewels. They both looked like one of the most powerful power couples in the universe.

"You have your daddy's curly hair," the woman spoke.

Her voice was the saddest sound he'd ever heard and the most beautiful. Her gentle smile could have shattered a small moon.

"And you have your sweet mother's breathtaking eyes," the man beside her said.

His voice was deep, like a grave or a pit. The kind of voice you don't want speaking to you in anger.

Christian wanted to ask them who they were. He wanted to know where he was, but he couldn't move a muscle or speak a single word.

They were both so beautiful and monstrous at the same time. He wanted to scream and hide. He wanted to cry and run to them.

The woman turned her face and looked at the man beside her. The man did the same, but it was she who lightly placed a shapely white hand over what Christian saw to be razor sharp talons the man had for a hand. The man looked slightly startled by the touch, but his infinitely dark eyes softened dramatically.

"We cannot," the man spoke. His voice was now softer than mushrooms glowing in the dark. "The time is not yet right, my queen."

The woman then sharply turned and looked at Christian. Her eyes were glowing as green as the first spring and looked wet with diamond tears. She was terrifying in her sorrow.

"Send him back now," she said, squeezing both her eyes shut as tightly as she could. It was as though looking at Christian wounded her something deeply. "Do it now before I scream his name and never let him go again!"

The man instantly looked like he wanted to comfort her, but he looked down at Christian with a face filled with unknowable grief.

_Who are you? Why am I here? Why do you both look so sad?_

Christian mentally gasped. The man was standing up and there were tears running down his pale cheeks.

His tears were red. Red as blood. Blood of the dead.

"Soon," the man spoke, suddenly giving him an insane grin. He'd seen that grin before. It had looked back at him in the mirror the day William had been killed. "Soon you will wake up and realize who you are…"

A force struck him. It was like being hit by a speeding comet with no license and flying while drunk.

He was sent backwards through those grand marble halls, out across a vast sea of molten anguish, and then up, up, up. Shadows flew passed him and the screams suddenly sounded far away.

"Hold still," a voice hissed at him. "Quit kicking like a hanged man. You're not a bag full of rabid kittens. So, stop it."

Someone was carrying him, but he could see nothing. It was so bright, he was blind.

"I'm going to plop you back in that pretty shell of yours and then I'm going to have myself a nice drink. A pretty drink. A pretty pink drink. Sparkly and bubbly with a glow stick in it. And no I won't choke on the stick. I'll tip someone else to do that for me. Quite funny really."

Suddenly Christian felt himself plummeting down, down, down.

"So long, gorgeous! I'll see you whenever, wherever!"

He was finally able to scream and he woke up with a start. Cool air was hitting him in the face and he could hear the noisy buzzing of a fan.

"Welcome back," a girl's voice said to him.

A second voice cut in rather sharply.

"If I was alive right now, I'd shit a brick and throw it at your face."

_Oh, William. You say the sexiest things._

And then he rolled over and threw up on a goat.

"Not my hooves!"

~OOOOO~

It was Annabeth who explained impossible things to him. Percy and Grover would cut in ever so often, filling in the crazy gaps with even more crazy.

They were all seated on the two beds, facing each other. William just stood next to Christian, nodding ever so often and saying things like, "Well that makes perfect sense. Remember the time you…and then you…and what about that time when you…and don't forget when you did that…oh, good times."

It went on like that for quite some time.

"I think you need to face facts, babe," William said to him after Percy hushed his head when Annabeth slapped his hand. "No human could pick up Jesus and use him the way you did back there."

"Or command plants like that either," Percy added. "You could be a son of Demeter or Dionysus."

_The Greek gods are real? Yeah, right._

"I know that look," Grover said, kicking his hooves for show. "This ain't no birth defect."

He looked to his right. Medusa's head was chilling out in the sink. He actually loved her Channel sunglasses. They'd look hot on him.

"Mom," he whispered. "Dad…"

Annabeth leaned forward and took both his hands in her smaller ones. "I'm sorry."

He looked down at his lap. He'd been abandoned by his biological parents as a baby, William had died and could no longer hold him, and now the only family he'd ever known was gone, too.

Murdered by a Greek myth.

"Babe?"

"We're on our way to the Underworld," Percy chimed in again. "Maybe…"

"My parents are in Heaven!" He shouted, jumping up, startling them all. "I don't want to hear this shit!"

"They died by Medusa's gaze," Annabeth softly told him, trying to calm him down. "They belong to Hades."

"Shut up!" Christian yelled at her and the pillow next to him burst into flames.

He yelped and jumped to his feet, nearly knocking over Grover. The satyr quickly shrugged off his jacket and began using it to put the fire out.

Eyes were really on him now. Wide, wide eyes.

"That's new," William said, biting his lower ghostly lip. "Well, newer."

"Do you see the color?" Annabeth asked.

Percy looked confused, but Grover nodded. "It doesn't want to be put out either," he said, beating at it with his jacket.

"What?" William asked. "What's wrong with the color?"

Annabeth looked from him to Christian. "That's _hellfire_."

Quiet. Utter quiet. Grover kept beating at it.

Christian pushed by them. "I need air."

"At least put the fire out first," Grover gasped, beating at it. "Or else this poor pillow will burn for the rest of time and what did it ever do to you? Keep your head nice and comfortable while you were out of it? Poor pillow. Poor, poor pillow."

Christian practically fled, but William was right there when he opened up the room door. "Get out of my way," he snapped at the shade. William looked so solid against the night sky beyond the balcony.

"You'll have to go through me," William said, putting his large hands on his hips.

Christian did just that. He walked right through him and then ran.

"Don't you walk through me! Get back here! Babe!"

"Throw it in the tub!" Percy shouted.

"Turn on the water!" Annabeth followed.

"Hot goat! Hot goat!"

**~To Be Continued…**


	3. Chapter 3

Flowers and Brimstone

Flora_Winters

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Percy Jackson series and I'm not making any money here either.

**Summary:** Hades and Persephone have a baby, but they had to secret him away to the mortal world where he grew up believing he is human. He sees dead people. Plants talk to him. The meds do nothing but make him sneeze. But, one day, while visiting a garden shop with his folks, he falls face first into a situation that cracks the enchantment which cloaks him from the realm of myth. As if being the adopted son of a preacher man wasn't bad enough, now he's running from a snaked haired woman, a goat demon, and people with scary swords. **Irreverence, Language, MM, OC, Violence**

**Chapter Three**

Christian raced down the outside hotel stairway and then ran along the cement sidewalk at the very bottom. He had no idea where he was or where it was his feet were taking him. All he did know was that he needed some serious space at the moment.

His swift steps faltered when a wave of nausea struck him between the eyes. Dizzy, he stumbled forward three steps and collapsed on his knees in the freshly cut grass. Fine beads of sweat broke out across his smooth brow and he could smell sliced watermelon. He could taste the sticky sweetness on his tongue and he was suddenly really thirsty.

Not for water.

Something thicker.

Darker.

Visions of fragrant pink plum blossoms spiraled through a long ago memory. William had cut his index finger while playing with a pocketknife and Christian had taken the older teen's finger, put it to his lips and lapped at the cut with his tongue. Sweeter than honey and smelled better than diced red apples. The blood had filled him and raced through him like a roaring wildfire. It was as if his very flesh had wanted to devour it all.

Feeding him.

Fueling him.

_Sacrifice…_

His head snapped up and his eyes looked all around. Nobody was around. Not even a passing shade. It was as if he were the only person in the world. He couldn't even hear birds chirping anymore.

But, all around him was wild blooming roses. Their petals were deep crimson in color, almost as if each petal had been painted with fresh blood and delicately frosted with dewy moonlight.

_What the fuck?_

_Hello Master, _voices greeted him.

He squeaked and fell back on his ass.

A dozen little voices giggled in his head and more roses grew, bursting into bloom like fireworks. Emerald vines adorned with lethal thorns coiled around and up his left arm.

He held his breath, waiting for a sting that never came. The vines were caressing him and he actually noticed that the tree to his right was leaning as if trying to get as close to him as it could without lifting up its roots and moving.

_We know you, Master. All the Green knows you. We are yours to love and command._

The voices. So many, many voices. Male. Female. Those in-between. All speaking as one living, powerful entity.

His head felt like it was going to explode in a light pink spray of brain meat and bone powder. He wanted to scream, but the thorns held his actions at bay.

He bit his bottom lip and squeezed his eyes shut. Surely he had fallen and hit his head on something hard. He was still asleep in the backseat of his parent's car. All of this was just a really bad dream brought on by a lack of nutrition and sunlight. His mom had warned him.

"Christian," he heard William speak his name in a deadpan manner. "What are those weeds doing to you?"

He opened his eyes and would have laughed had he not been on the verge of a total mental collapse. He was thankful the lot was empty, otherwise a lot of people would see a garden making out with him and there would be no way he'd be able to explain it.

_Flowers Gone Wild._

William looked as though he wished he had a can of weed killer or a really big weed whacker. He looked super pissed the fuck off.

"Grover!" William turned his head, shouting over his shoulder. "Bring me the ax!"

Christian looked up at him and silently asked the flora to let him up. To his amazement, the flora gently lifted him up into the air, planting him firmly on his feet, but the vines still coiled around him. Their sensuous movements reminded him of fanged serpents in constant dance.

_Release me, please…_

The roses did so at once. It was almost instant. The thorns made not one scratch or tiny graze along his pale flesh.

He took a deep breath in thanks. He hadn't been flayed. No flesh hanging from exposed bone.

Footsteps were running closer. All three teeny boppers came bounding around the corner like a herd of elephants.

"Where's the monster?" Grover asked, looking this way and that. He looked like he was ready to charge head first.

Percy and Annabeth had their swords drawn and waiting for an attack to commence. Did they always look ready for an impending battle?

Roses peeked over Christian's slender shoulders and between his slightly spread legs.

"Hey!" William snapped, bending over to face the sweet smelling blossoms. "That's mine!"

Christian felt his face catch fire and Percy cleared his throat. Annabeth looked as if she'd entered a wonderful boy-love novel and Grover was licking his lips. The satyr was looking at the roses as if they were dinner.

_Do roses taste good?_

_We do not! If the satyr comes near us we shall strike more than his tail._

"You really should come back to the room and put that hellfire out," Percy told him, pointing at him with his sword. He looked a little pink in the face.

Vines rattled like venomous rattlesnakes.

_Calm down, _Christian caught himself speaking to the flora again. _He won't hurt me. In fact, he saved me. Now get back in the earth before tourists come along and start taking pictures._

The roses and their vines did as was commanded them. They descended back into the ground, leaving the soil looking totally undisturbed. It was as if there had never been any Garden of Lust.

_Jesus!_

He was mad.

_I'm talking to horny flowers._

Annabeth took a step towards him. She looked a little mystified.

"Yes?" He asked, wishing he could hide behind William without being seen.

"Are you like us?" She asked him. "Or…"

William snorted.

Her blade flashed a pale grey and she suddenly swung her sword, slicing straight across his right hand. With a startled hiss, he snatched hold of his injured hand and jumped back, holding it to his chest.

His eyes went wide, filling with betrayal.

"You fucking cunt!" William rounded on her, silvery blue eyes blazing fury. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Raise that blade to him again and I'll find a way to smash your face in."

"Look," Annabeth quickly motioned.

Percy and Grover did so, even though they had looks of complete shock on their faces.

William looked like he wished he could spit acid into her eyes, but he turned around and his face blanked.

"Your blood…" Grover whispered.

Christian looked down and his already wide eyes widened even more. Between his trembling fingers was liquid gold.

He carefully removed his hand from his bleeding wound.

From his cut seeped gold.

He was bleeding molten gold.

"Oh. Oh, God," he said, putting his hand back over his wound, swaying on his feet. "How the hell did I get an STD?"

**To Be Continued…**

**Please review and tell me what you all think.**

**_~Flora_**


	4. Chapter 4

Flowers and Brimstone

Flora_Winters

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Percy Jackson series and I'm not making any money here either.

**Summary:** Hades and Persephone have a baby, but they had to secret him away to the mortal world where he grew up believing he is human. He sees dead people. Plants talk to him. The meds do nothing but make him sneeze. But, one day, while visiting a garden shop with his folks, he falls face first into a situation that cracks the enchantment which cloaks him from the realm of myth. As if being the adopted son of a preacher man wasn't bad enough, now he's running from a snaked haired woman, a goat demon, and people with scary swords. **Irreverence, Language, MM, OC, Violence**

**Chapter Four**

"Has your brain done gone and went stupid?" Grover asked Annabeth. His eyes were as wide as porcelain china saucers. "You did not just go and slice open the hand of a God? Oh, Lord! Percy. My man! Tell me she didn't." He quickly faced Christian, holding up both his hands in hasty supplication to him. "Annabeth didn't mean a thing by it, Lord. She has a tick. Well, that's a lie and you know that's a lie, so forgive me for lying. She is but a simple, little woman. You know how her sex be. Pandora and all that jazz. Shouldn't be allowed beyond the sight of the kitchen sink."

Annabeth quite calmly hit the jabbering satyr over the top of his rock-hard head with the flat of her gleaming blade. It made a loud _thunk_ sound and Grover looked up at the night sky.

"Rain?"

Christian, of course, had not heard a single word being said to him. He was far too concerned about the color of his blood. All he heard was Charlie Brown's teacher as he rode the waves in his mind.

_I've never had a blood transfusion as far as I know. I've only ever had sex with William. But, that was in the cemetery out back. Oh, God! I knew the grass was dangerous. Weeds growing from the flesh of the jealous dead, seeking to kill us all._

"Babe?"

_No. Don't be so fucking stupid. Oh, Shit! Do I have aids? Is this one of the symptoms?_

He looked at his blood.

_I've never used public toilets. Oh, fuck! Did Dad have an affair? Mom? Well, I can't really blame her. I would too._

"Baby?"

_This isn't happening. I'm going to wake the fuck up right this fucking second._

He blinked and then began to pinch himself all over.

_Wake up! Wake up, goddamn it! I don't want to be here. I want to be back in the car listening to Dad berate homosexuals so I can hate him again._

"Christian Shepherd!" William was bent over, shouting right in his face. "Snap the fuck out of it and calm down! Please?"

The dark headed teen blinked several times.

"Mosquitoes!" He snapped, holding up his bleeding hand. "Mosquitoes did this to me! It's the government. The government is trying to kill us all."

All three half-bloods just looked at him. Grover's mouth was gaping.

"Little needles on deadly wings," Christian ranted on, turning from them. "You never know you're pricked until you're itching like hell." He spun back around. "The water! I thought it tasted funny last week."

Grover leaned back, whispering in Annabeth's ear. "He's mad."

Christian moved to grab hold of William, but stopped a mere eyelash from the tall shade. "If I die we can touch again. We can be happy again. Let me kill myself. I don't want to waste away."

William looked as though he'd been kicked in the dick for the first time.

"Hush," the ghost spoke.

"I'm all alone now," Christian went on. "I have no one. Nobody. Nothing."

"I was murdered," William said. "Suicide is different. You know that. It hurts the soul. Believe me."

Christian wanted to argue, but he spun around and faced a tree. "You wouldn't mind if I hung myself from your branches would you?"

_I'd sooner be struck down by a hard wind or a blazing bolt of lightning, Master. But, if you try, I'll let my limb break._

Christian felt as though he could grow fangs and razor sharp talons. He wanted to attack the twig for not giving into his dark desire.

"William?"

"Babe?"

"Instruct one of the children to hand me one of their swords."

The tree slightly rustled.

Christian's left eye twitched. "Don't you dare yawn at me!"

_But I'm le tired._

Was that spoken with a French accent? If so, it was lousy and racist.

He raised his finger, pointed at the tree and was just about to scream 'HELLFIRE POWER!'

"Look Mommy!" A little girl yelled and pointed from her room. "That lady is yelling at that tree. Why is she yelling at the tree for? Is it a bad tree? Shouldn't bad trees get cut down?"

Christian's slender shoulders slumped. His twitching finger dropped to his side.

"Don't make eye contact, Honey," the little girl's mother said, pulling her back inside their hotel room. "It only encourages them."

The door slammed and locked.

"I am not a lady!" Christian yelled, stomping his foot. "I just have long hair!"

William toed at the grass, looking as if he were struggling not to smile, but keeping a wicked eye on Annabeth at the same time.

"Actually," Grover piped in, but Percy cut him off with a sharp elbow jab to his ribs.

"Will you come with me?" Percy asked Christian. He clicked his sword and it became a silver pen in his hand. "I can heal your cut."

Christian wanted to run screaming across the parking lot and into oncoming traffic. So much was happening far too fast for him to keep up.

The last two years exploded around him in horrific colors. William killed in action, ghosts haunting his every shadow, snake haired woman, parents turned to stone, goat boys, talking plants, hellfire, horny roses, bleeding gold, and now a sword just turned into an ink pen right before his stunned eyes with a mere click.

Yep. That pretty pink bus sure does look good enough to jump in front of right about now. It would be really quick, which, of course, knowing his luck, he'd more than likely survive and be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life.

"You think I'm going to let him go anywhere with you after that little stunt your girlfriend just pulled with her sword?" William asked, crossing his muscular arms across his broad chest. "Oh, hell motherfuckin' nah. He's going nowhere with y'all."

"Annabeth is not my girlfriend," Percy said to the ghost, walking up to Christian. "We'll go Nowhere then. Come on."

William growled, puffing himself up to look even bigger than he already was, but Percy pointed to the sign over their heads.

**NOWHERE OASES POOL. HAVE A SPLASH!**

"That's not what I meant," William snarled. "And you know it, tween."

Annabeth spoke up. "Percy is the son of Poseidon. He can heal the wound I inflicted. We can talk why I did it afterwards."

"Talk?" William snorted and then yelled at her. "You attacked and made my boyfriend bleed!"

She walked up to William and his large fist came swiftly down and went right through her face and out the back of her head. She cocked a sharp brow and stood up on her tiptoes. With a dramatic eye-roll, he pulled his ghostly arm free from her neck* and bent down.

She whispered a few words into his ear and he lost all facial expression. He became stoic as she pulled away from him. With an eerie grace the dead possessed, he turned his head toward Christian without the rest of him moving. Christian has seen him do it enough to not be unnerved by it anymore.

"What?" Christian asked.

"Let Percy help you out, Babe. I'll be in the room."

He was gone.

Christian looked at Annabeth. "What did you say to my boyfriend?"

She put her blade away. "I'll tell you back in the room. Come on, Grover."

The satyr quickly followed.

"Come on," Percy smiled. "This will be quick and painless. I promise."

"What did she say to him?" Christian asked, following after the slightly shorter boy.

Percy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

Christian pursed his dewy red lips. "I bet it was a pussy joke."

Percy nearly tripped, but Christian paid no attention. He never saw it.

"William fears the pussy. I remember the time when he remembered the time falling out of one. Been scared of heights ever since. You see, his mom was a tall woman and his dad was even taller…"

**To Be Continued…**

**Please review and tell me what you think so far.**

**~Flora**

**(*) = William's arm is now through Annabeth's neck because she stood up on tiptoe. As she went up, his arm went down from her face to her neck. He never moved. She did.**


	5. Chapter 5

Flowers and Brimstone

Flora_Winters

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series and I'm not making any money here either.

Summary: Hades and Persephone have a baby, but they had to secret him away to the mortal world where he grew up believing he is human. He sees dead people. Plants talk to him. The meds do nothing but make him sneeze. But, one day, while visiting a garden shop with his folks, he falls face first into a situation that cracks the enchantment which cloaks him from the realm of myth. As if being the adopted son of a preacher man wasn't bad enough, now he's running from a snaked haired woman, a goat demon, and people with scary swords. Irreverence, Language, MM, OC, Violence

**Chapter Five**

Pool water shimmered pale blue and Percy asked Christian to take a seat near the edge. He sat down as he was politely instructed to do so and allowed the younger boy to examine his injured hand with his own. His golden blood glowed and seemed to sparkle under the security light and Percy was being extra careful not to let any of it to actually touch his own skin.

"What is wrong with my blood?" He asked Percy, fearing the absolute worst was about to crush the air from his lungs forever. "If I'm like you, would you also bleed as I do?"

The younger boy shook his dark head. "There is nothing wrong with you. So, calm down."

Christian cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at him.

"I am only a Half-Blood," Percy spoke, dipping his hand into the warm pool water. "I bleed red as any _human_."

Christian made a face. "What are you saying?"

Percy pulled his wet hand from the pool and held it a few inches above Christian's wound. Green eyes watched and still waited for an answer from the younger boy, but he was suddenly startled all over again.

A drop fell and landed on his injured flesh. His skin cooled and began to mend itself. He watched as sparkling drops of water dripped from Percy's hand, magically healing his own.

Right before his stunned eyes, his hand was completely healed. It was as though he had never been sliced open by Annabeth's blade.

He moved to wash the golden blood off into the pool, but Percy quickly stopped him from doing so. The boy snatched hold of his arm and shook his head.

"No," Percy told him. "Not here. People swim here."

Now Christian was even more frightened. "What? Why? What's wrong with my blood?"

"Golden ichor," Percy answered him. "It is fatal to mortals. You would contaminate the whole pool."

Christian's eyes widened in horror and he looked at his hands. "Am I dying?"

"No," Percy said, looking away from him. "Far from it."

Christian was only two clicks away from screaming at him. He wanted to know what the hell was going on and then he nearly stopped breathing altogether.

_Ichor?_

Mr. Walter's class came rolling back through the recesses of his mind. There had been a test question about what _ichor_ was on the mythology portion.

He gazed at Percy. Those blue eyes wouldn't meet his. The boy looked as though he were really, really nervous.

He had written the answer out on the test form. Ichor is the ethereal fluid that is the gods' blood. It is golden in color and deadly to mortals. It has often been spilled by great heroes and by rival gods.

The very essence of time seemed to slow all around him. He could hear the beating of his own heart and it actually sounded like a powerful, steady beating drum in his ears.

Blood of the gods…

William had come back to him from beyond the cold and isolated tomb. Plants spoke, sang and obeyed him. He could pick up a thousand pound statue of Christ and set pillows ablaze.

Medusa's voice slithered through his mind.

_What are you?_

She had been unable to turn him to stone.

_No_, he put his hands to his ears, pressing as hard as he could against them. _Don't say it. Don't think it. Just shut up._

She could turn humans to stone, but not him. He had been able to gaze upon her and remain unaffected.

"What is it like?" Percy asked, his voice calling him back, distracting him from his terribly almost revelation.

"What?" He asked, looking up from his lap, thankful for the sudden distraction.

"You and William," the younger boy whispered. "What is it like?"

"Sad," Christian answered him. "I can't touch him and he can't touch me. We're together but separated. His death nearly destroyed me."

"The good stuff," Percy said, looking him in the eyes now. "Is it worth it?"

Christian nodded. "It is worth every laugh, every tear."

Percy bit his bottom lip. He looked somewhat dreamy eyed now, like he was seriously thinking about someone.

"When you love someone, truly, truly love someone…don't make the same mistake I did, Percy. Don't ever allow yourself to walk away angry. Don't let _him _fly away hurt."

Percy paled before him.

Heavy words.

Heavy, heavy words.

They hung in the air like weights.

Echoed.

"Percy," he said, holding up his healed hand. "Thank you."

Percy softly smiled and rose to his feet. "We need to head back. Annabeth will have lots to say."

Christian was getting up when a shrill scream sliced through the air like a razor. He lost his balance, gasped and toppled over backwards into the pool with a splash.

He came up spitting and thrashing. A woman was screaming louder and louder.

William popped in, causing Percy to yelp in surprise and jump away.

"We gotta go, Babe. Get out of the pool."

Percy's pen became a blade once more. "What happened?" He asked, looking for an enemy to cut up. "What's going on?"

"No time," William told him. "Get to the truck quickly."

Christian climbed from the pool with Percy's held and they both took off running. He spotted Grover and Annabeth already racing and nearing the truck with bags in hand.

"HEAD! A WOMAN'S HEAD!" A woman was screaming. "POLICE! POLICE!"

"What did you do?" Percy yelled at Grover, letting Christian jump into the truck beside Annabeth before he squeezed in.

"Me?" Grover asked, looking all offended. "What makes you think I did anything?"

Percy growled. "When do you not do anything?"

"Boys!" Annabeth snapped. "Shut up. Grover?"

"Yes Ma'am?"

"Drive!"

The goat floored it.

"William!" Christian yelled.

"Behind you, Babe."

He looked.

William was in the back. His head was sticking through the locked window.

"A housekeeper saw Medusa," Annabeth said.

"How?" Percy asked.

"Grover left the door open," William spoke.

"Well, excuse me," Grover snapped, turning onto a straight stretch of road leading out of town. "I was distracted by Annabeth slicing up a…"

Annabeth quickly elbowed the satyr in the ribs, causing Grover to yelp and swerve across the yellow line.

He yelled, straightening the wheel, barely missing a fire-red Corvette. "Are you crazy?"

She rolled her eyes.

Christian's teeth were chattering. He was wet and cold and fiddling with the heater.

"Calm down you two," Percy said, pulling out what appeared to be some kind of really old map.

Christian looked and he blinked his eyes. The map was changing.

"Where are we heading?" Annabeth asked.

Christian saw the location and struggled now to roll his eyes.

William pretended to be playing a banjo. "Y'all come back now, ya hear?"

"Why do I suddenly feel so very afraid?" Grover asked.

"We'll find the second pearl at the Parthenon," Percy answered, looking down at the glowing script on the map. "In Nashville…"

"I just had to ask," Grover shuddered.

"Pearl?" Christian asked.

Annabeth explained.

Seven minutes later, Christian just kept staring straight ahead into the night.

William coughed, though he had no reason to do so. "But, there are only three pearls. When Percy rescues his mother, there will be five of you to transport out of that sewer."

Silence followed.

"And what about my parents?" Christian asked.

More silence.

"If they are in this awful place," he said. "I'm not leaving them there."

Even more silence.

He fiddled some more with the heater, until Percy leaned forward and helped him.

"Thanks."

Percy nodded. "We should find you some dry clothes."

Annabeth quickly agreed. She suddenly looked excited.

Christian checked his back pocket for the first time. His wallet was still there.

"I have money," he said, pulling it free from his wet pocket. "Find me a store."

Grover stopped at a red light and then pointed. "Mall to the left."

Annabeth's eyes glittered. She now looked really excited.

"I think we may need a new game plan," Percy mentioned, putting the map away. "I'm not very good with numbers."

"I balanced a checkbook once," William grinned.

Grover glared at the shade and Christian told him to shut up.

"We'll call Luke then," Annabeth said. "Maybe there is another way. He's helped us get this far."

Christian noticed how Percy's face had lit up when Annabeth had said the name _Luke_. He looked away. That earlier conversation at the pool now made a lot more sense.

His Gaydar went _ping._

Percy pulled out a laptop and the streetlight turned green.

"Luke?" William asked.

Percy nodded.

"Did he give you that magic map?" The shade asked.

Annabeth answered. "Yes."

"So, he sent all three of you to Aunty Em's?" William asked. "And yet all three of you were really surprised when Aunty showed up…"

All three slowly nodded.

"What are you saying?" Percy asked.

A horn honked from behind, causing them all to jump and Grover made the turn.

William shrugged his broad shoulders. "Nothing."

The sparkle left Annabeth's eyes.

"Babe," William whispered into his ear. "I think we really need to talk."

Christian was about to answer him when he suddenly froze.

"FUCK!"

Everyone jumped and Grover slammed on the brakes, nearly hitting the car in front of him.

"What the hell?" Grover yelled.

"I FELL IN THE POOL! WHAT IF KIDS GO SWIMMING?"

**~To Be Continued…**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews. Please keep telling me what you all think. It keeps me writing.**

**~Flora.**


	6. Chapter 6

Flowers and Brimstone

Flora_Winters

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Percy Jackson series and I'm not making any money here either.

**Summary:** Hades and Persephone have a baby, but they had to secret him away to the mortal world where he grew up believing he is human. He sees dead people. Plants talk to him. The meds do nothing but make him sneeze. But, one day, while visiting a garden shop with his folks, he falls face first into a situation that cracks the enchantment which cloaks him from the realm of myth. As if being the adopted son of a preacher man wasn't bad enough, now he's running from a snaked haired woman, a goat demon, and people with scary swords. **Irreverence, Language, MM, OC, Violence**

**Chapter Six**

Grover parked under a flickering security light near the front sliding doors. A lot of bugs were flying around it and Christian could see a few bats swooping down to feast. He liked bats for the most part. They sort of reminded him of puppies with swift wings.

"We got to make this quick," Percy said as they all exited the stolen truck. "We don't exactly have a lot of time."

Grover nodded and Annabeth looked away. She looked like she wanted to say something along the lines of, 'Don't ever take a girl to the mall and expect her to hurry, male.'

Christian was actually wondering what the time was. He knew it was late and that malls didn't exactly stay open passed a certain hour. This wasn't exactly Hong Kong. If he wanted dry clothes that actually fit, he was going to have to make it snappy.

William leaned in close to him. "How much money do you have on you?" The shade whispered into his ear.

"Three hundred in cash," he answered his boyfriend and then gave a sad smirk. "I also have Daddy's credit card."

That caused the ghost to whistle. "When did you swipe that?"

Christian shrugged. "I have my secrets."

The phantom pouted. "Not from me you don't."

"Sweet wonderful Pan chewing on a soda can," Grover gushed, practically dancing up to the doors. "They have escalators!"

Percy laughed and Annabeth rolled her eyes. Their satyr friend looked so very, very happy. Christian took it that the goat-boy didn't make it out of the pasture much.

The shiny glass doors slid open and all five went inside. A young woman stopped them on the other side just as fast. She looked tired and ready to go home.

Her nametag read, 'Eve."

"We will be closing in twenty minutes," she deadpanned and then smiled as if she were on some kind of delay. "Welcome to Steve's Closet." She turned to the left and frowned. "Adam! I told you! No wire hangers in the windows!"

"Goddamn," William said, crossing his muscular arms across his broad chest. "What crawled up her Victoria's Secret and bit her snatch?"

Grover snorted out loud and Percy turned pinker than cotton candy. Annabeth was glaring daggers at the invisible phantom.

"You're wet," Eve spoke to Christian.

"Yes," he replied, giving her a sour look. "It's raining."

"Your friends are dry," she observed, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I didn't say where it was raining now did I, _Eve_?" He said, putting a venomous emphasis on her name. "Point me to Ed Hardy and a dressing room."

She rolled her eyes, but led the way.

"Eve was weak," William snickered. "I bet this bitch soared through CUNT 101 and 102 with the help of them dirty pillows."

Christian kept silent and followed after the young saleswoman. He actually discovered himself wondering if William could be picked up on any of the security cameras. It would be really neat if he could be.

Grover went off to play on the escalator, but Percy drug him back and they both took a seat in the floor. Annabeth helped Christian pick out a few shirts and jeans with William's comedic input. Annabeth told him to at least pick out two just in case something else was to happen.

Eve stuck close by. Christian guessed she thought they might try and steal stuff.

He looked at Percy and Grover. Percy looked out of his element and Grover was giving a metallic skirt a hungry stare.

Was the goat drooling?

He shook his head.

"Try these on," Annabeth said, shoving him towards the dressing rooms. "I'll go find shoes."

_I need shoes?_

He made no argument. He actually told her to find him socks, too.

He walked into the dressing room and closed the wooden door behind him, locking it out of habit. He was surrounded on three sides by high mirrors and the white walls still smelled of fresh paint.

He stripped naked and gazed at himself within the glass.

"I'd give both nuts to be able to hold you right now," William spoke from behind.

Christian closed his eyes.

"You're beautiful, Chrissy."

He wanted to be held and comforted so badly right now. He longed to feel William's weight on top of him, feeling his largeness swell and grow inside of him, filling him to the brink of nova.

He dressed in silence and found he looked good dressed in explosions of colorful death. The shirt and pants fit him like a mortician's glove, showing off just how thin and twinky he was.

"My gorgeous Twinkerbell."

He laughed. "Shut up, Will."

William looked at him. "Annabeth told me."

Christian sobered and stilled.

Was this about his blood?

The golden ichor in which he bled?

William moved close. The shade looked torn. In pain.

"I know my Greek myths, Chrissy," he said, suddenly kneeling before him on one knee. "Immortals…Gods bleed gold."

Christian backed up a step.

"What are you doing, Will? Get up."

William smiled. "I always knew you were someone special."

"Will? Please get up. I don't want to take about this," he pleaded.

William stood. "There are no other explanations," he said. "My boyfriend is God…well, one of many."

A distant roaring sound began to fill Christian's ears and he covered them, shaking his head back and forth. He didn't want to hear this. Not now. Not ever.

"Maybe," William smiled brighter. "Maybe you can bring me back."

Christian's green eyes snapped open and someone else was looking back at him from within the mirror. It was him, only it wasn't.

It was a darker, far more twisted mirror image. A terrible beauty so fail and horrible, it could boil eyes within their sockets.

He couldn't turn his face away from the creature in the cold mirror. Inside the glass, a god was looking out.

He was pale as bone and more luminous than magnesium on fire. His eyes could turn an ocean to salt and his fists looked as though they could shatter mountains. Vines slithered around him and sprouted poisonous thorns as his hair billowed about his face like volcanic smoke. Each strand of smoky darkness looked as though it could catch fire at any given moment. All it would take was a single spark of rage. All he need do was crack the glass and let it shatter.

He raised a fist, but was snapped back to himself by a knock at the door. He blinked and turned to see William looking at him with hope.

"Hey!" Annabeth called, knocking the door again. "I found you some shoes. How do you like heels on your boots?"

Percy and Grover were both snickering.

He nodded at William.

"Slide them and the socks under, Annabeth," William said, grinning from ear to ear. "Babe has found his inner rock star."

Christian also purchased cologne and deodorant. In the end, he used his dad's credit card and signed off.

He would save the cash. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

Eve wished them all a wonderful night and then promptly began shrieking at Adam some more. Christian found himself beginning to feel for the poor guy.

"You look hot enough to burn," Annabeth grinned from beside him.

Christian thanked her.

Grover tried to gag himself with the truck key and Percy wouldn't even look at him. Percy's reaction caused a slight _ping_ to resonate on his Gaydar once more.

William leaned in. "Methinks the jailbait has the hots for you."

Christian shook his head, finding the jealousy in William's voice pleasing. "No. Not for me. I think he wishes he was open like me. He has it bad for another not in present company."

"I could watch his dreams," William instantly offered.

Christian thought on it. That would help him to understand things better. He did like having the upper hand.

"Watch them all and then come into mine."

William beamed. "Naked and hard?"

Christian smiled. "On a bed of fresh apple blossoms."

William could only touch him in dreams. Only in the realm of sleep could they have what they had lost. But, on waking, it was like having a heart attack all over again.

Percy stepped in closer to him. "Sit by me."

Christian cocked a brow, but nodded.

"Yee haw!" Grover shouted, kicking his hooves together. "Here we come, Nashville! Oh, how I love that banjo melody!"

Annabeth elbowed him.

**To Be Continued…**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**~Flora**


	7. Chapter 7

Flowers and Brimstone

Flora_Winters

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Percy Jackson series and I'm not making any money here either.

**Summary:** Hades and Persephone have a baby, but they had to secret him away to the mortal world where he grew up believing he is human. He sees dead people. Plants talk to him. The meds do nothing but make him sneeze. But, one day, while visiting a garden shop with his folks, he falls face first into a situation that cracks the enchantment which cloaks him from the realm of myth. As if being the adopted son of a preacher man wasn't bad enough, now he's running from a snaked haired woman, a goat demon, and people with scary swords. **Irreverence, Language, MM, OC, Violence**

**Chapter Seven**

Christian knew he was dreaming. There was snow under his feet and pink plum blossoms were falling all around him. The air smelled sweet and the wind ruffled his hair, causing each smoky strand to flutter about his pale face. Plum trees swayed and whispered to themselves as he walked under their creaking branches. Eyes were watching him from the shadows, and he heard the distant hoot of an owl.

He was dressed in white, flowing silk. It looked to have slithered around him, being held in place by serpent embrace alone. It shimmered in the ghost light from a hidden moon and he looked around himself.

The forest looked as though it went on forever. The trail was ever-winding, and the darkness between the swaying trees looked deep and somewhat frightening, but the snow was sparkling and bright. The path looked to be glowing, leading him somewhere he didn't know.

"William?" He called out, beginning to quicken his pace. He didn't like to be in dreams by himself for very long. They never turned out good when he was just by himself.

He stopped walking and stood still for a few seconds, quickly reminding himself that this was only a dream. Since he knew it was a dream, he was in control of what took place around him.

"Enough," he said, raising his arms to the hidden sky above. "I want light and my garden filled with butterflies."

The dreamscape wavered and he was suddenly surrounded by blooming greenery and butterflies. He breathed a sigh of relief, and took a seat in his favorite chair by a marble fountain. He was no longer dressed in silk, but in jeans and a t-shirt.

White clouds fluttered across a blue sky above the glass ceiling and the sun had more gold in it than the ground under his feet. Butterflies played in his hair, looking like jewels.

"You were right about Percy," William said, walking through the open door to his left. "He has it bad for that Luke guy. He's pretty good looking, too. Tall and model-like."

Christian looked up at him and smiled. "What did you see?"

William pulled him up into his arms and the butterflies took to the air once more. The shade held him tight, and Christian felt so happy he would burst.

"The two of them were sword fighting and calling each other all sorts of names," William said, sniffing his long, dark hair. "Whore. Slut. Cow. Pig. Goat. Pigeon. Weasel. Ferret. Snake. Rat. Love talk, really."

"And," Christian smiled, pressing him to get to the point.

"Percy was the first to throw down his sword," William said, nibbling on his right ear a little bit. "And Luke tossed his sword down and ran at him. Let's just say, they don't make armor like they used to. I nearly got knocked out by winged Nike."

Christian looked up at him and the dreamscape began to change once more. What had once been a garden filled with fluttering butterflies, was now a giant rose blossom, and they were both very naked, rolling around in the sweet smelling golden pollen at its center.

"Make love to me, Will," Christian said, wishing the two of them could stay like this forever and ever. A world all their own, that could change and become whatever they wanted it to be. "I want to feel you inside me. I want…"

But, before he could finish saying what he wanted more than anything, he was thrown forward into the waking world with a violent tug and scream.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth cried, holding a hand over her heart, looking as though she were trying very hard not to strike Grover with all her might. "You're not supposed to fall asleep at the wheel of a moving vehicle. It's dangerous!"

Christian felt a weight on his shoulder and noticed Percy had fallen asleep against him. He looked over at Annabeth, who was still fuming.

"Sorry," Grover said, rolling his eyes. "I need sleep, too. How about you get your license and then you drive!"

"Shut up!" Annabeth snapped. "The sun is coming up anyway. Are we there yet?"

Grover mumbled. "Almost."

"Just when it was getting good," William sighed over Christian's shoulder.

Christian wanted to scream. He really, really did.

"What was?" Annabeth asked, turning to look at them both.

William grinned at her. "We don't discuss grownup things in front of the little ones."

They all suddenly looked at Percy who moaned slightly in his sleep. Christian noticed the way Annabeth was looking at the boy and suddenly felt really bad for her. He knew that look. He knew that look very, very well.

"Percy," Christian said, gently moving his shoulder up and down, rousing the boy. "You've put my arm to sleep. It hurts."

"Liar," William whispered in his ear. "You just don't want her…"

Christian silenced him with a look. William grinned from ear to ear, but nodded his head.

Percy opened his eyes, looked up into Christian's eyes all confused and suddenly went pink. He sat up straight, coughing as if he'd been holding his breath for a long time.

"Sorry," he muttered, scratching the back of his neck. "I must have fallen asleep."

"Ten more miles," Grover said. "Can we stop and get some breakfast first? I'm really hungry."

After some argument, Annabeth reluctantly agreed. Christian could have cared less. He was only hungry for one thing, but he wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again so easily.

_Sleeping pills! I need sleeping pills! Why didn't I bring them with me? Oh, yeah. I did. They're in my parent's car._

"What's wrong?" Percy asked him all of a sudden, looking really concern. "You look mad."

"What?" Christian asked, sniffing, and playing with his hair. "Nothing. I'm not mad. Why would I be mad?"

All three just looked at him.

"Can we stop at a pharmacy?" He finally asked.

William looked at him as Grover put his left blinker on. "Why?"

"I need something to help me _sleep_," he answered him.

William just looked at him and then his eyes slightly widened. "Oh! Yeah. You've not been sleeping well for weeks, Babe. Maybe you really should get something for that."

"Christian," Annabeth said. "I don't think sleep aides will help _someone_ like _you_. You could try asking Hypnos or something, but he's never awake long enough to listen to prayers."

"Then why mention him at all?" William growled at her. "And I've still not forgiven you for cutting Babe."

"It proved a point," Annabeth told him, glaring. "And don't make us have to have an altercation, ghost boy."

William rolled his ghostly blue eyes. "Oh, what are you going to do? Poke me with your silly little sword until I get bored and wander off?"

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's mature."

"FOOD!" Grover yelled over them, throwing the truck into park and almost kicking his door open with his hidden hooves. "GRUB!"

Christian took a deep breath. He didn't really want to go in there. Just the thought of food was making him kind of sick to his stomach. The smell alone would probably cause him to spew the nothing that was in his tummy.

"Thirty minutes!" Annabeth shouted after the satyr. "Thirty minutes, Grover!"

"Baaaaahhhhhh!"

"WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!"

Percy looked like he wanted to say something to Christian, but quickly thought the better of it. He followed after Annabeth, getting out on Grover's side by scooting across the leather seat.

"Coming?" He asked, climbing out, turning around to smile at him.

"Yeah," Christian answered, nodding at him. "I'll be there in a minute. Order me an orange juice mixed with cranberry."

Percy grinned. "Gotcha." He closed the door.

He watched the two of them follow Grover into the small diner and he leaned back in his seat. The parking lot was empty except for their truck. The sign over the door read, _**GRANNY'S DEEP SOUTHERN COOKIN', Y'ALL**_.

"You know what I want?" William asked, taking a seat beside him. "Sweet water taffy. The chocolate kind. Best stuff in the world. I could eat an entire boxful till I puke all over the place. I did once. Mom was pissed. Ruined her white carpet."

"I remember," Christian said, staring off into space. "You hid at my house for three hours."

William chuckled. "My parents were assholes, huh?"

"I'll never forgive them."

William sighed. "Babe…"

"Never," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"It was my choice," William said. "They couldn't have stopped me."

"I should have called," Christian ranted, pulling on his hair. "Told the army you were gay. A fudge packer. You made me bite my pillow. Anything to of made you not leave me. I could have shown up at the recruiting office in drag, and just hung all over you."

"Let it go, Babe," William said, hovering ever so close. "You can't change the choices I made. Thinking about it is only going to upset you and make you crazy….well, crazier."

"I want my fucking cranorange!" He snapped, getting out of the truck, slamming the door behind him as hard as he could.

He was almost to the front door when the windows and the glass door exploded from the inside out. He fell flat on his ass as water came flowing out from them.

Grover came running out, swinging his crutches around like a mad person. He had a piece of blackened toast in his mouth as he raced by, mumbling obscenities.

Percy jumped out a broken window with Annabeth right behind him.

"RUN!" Percy shouted, sword in hand.

"For Christ's sake!" Christian stumbled to his feet. "What is it now?"

"I'm gonna getcha, Percy Jackson," an angry, shrieking voice screamed from inside the broken diner. "I'll tear ya limb from limb! That lightnin' bolt will be my masters!"

A bird looking woman appeared at the door and she looked pissed. Her feathers were caked with ketchup and mustard. She had pickle relish all over her pinched face. She looked absolutely ridiculous in her fuzzy pink apron.

"Come on!" Annabeth and Percy yelled, grabbing him by both arms, hauling him backwards towards the truck that roared to life. Grover honking the horn like a mad person.

"I'll distract her," William beamed, running by them. "Hey, bitch! You don't look so well. Do you have the avian flu?"

"NO!" Annabeth yelled over her shoulder. "She's a harpy! She ushers souls to Hades! She can hurt you!"

"Get outta my way, shade!" The harpy swiped at him with her talons, slicing through his left arm like it was paper.

William cried out in pain, falling to his knees, holding his arm to his chest.

"NO!" Christian screamed at the top of his lungs.

The very air wavered and the stones under their feet vibrated to the sound. The harpy halted in her tracks.

The skin on Christian's face suddenly pulled back really tight and his eyes began to glow from within his skull as if they were twin emerald stars. Percy and Annabeth were both thrown away from him as if invisible hands suddenly snatched them both and tossed them like dolls.

"**Nobody touches him," **Christian spoke.

The harpy fell to her face with a shriek, looking as if she were being pressed into the pavement by a powerful gravitational force. She screamed as her bones began to snap and break one after the other.

"**Now say you're sorry," **Christian commanded, smoke coming from his mouth and nose.

"I'm…sorry," the harpy choked out.

Christian cocked his head to the side.

"**Burn," **he said, smiling with a mouth filled with sharp teeth. His eyes were wide and crazy, filled with a mad power. **"Burn and burn and burn AND BURN AND BURN AND BURN!"**

The harpy did just that. She began to smoke and then burst into black flames. She screamed in agony as the smell of her burning flesh filled the air. She writhed in terror and suddenly went still.

Christian laughed and spread his arms. The diner before him exploded into flames and he howled with insane laughter.

"Babe!" William called to him.

The rage suddenly left Christian and he began to glow from the inside out. He stepped forward, walking through the black flames that were consuming the harpy's flesh without them even touching him. He looked like a small star descended, beautiful and terrible to behold.

"_Will?" _He asked, kneeling down beside the trembling shade. _"Are you okay?"_

William looked upon him. His blue eyes wide and filled with Christian's otherworldly radiance.

"That surprised me," he said, looking at the blackened claw marks on his arm. "She actually hurt me."

"_Your mine," _Christian said, glowing white hand hovering just mere inches over William's ghostly injury. _"You promised your soul to me. Nobody will ever take you from me. They will die horribly if they try."_

William watched as the black scratches vanished, revealing smooth ghostly flesh once more. He looked into Christian's beautiful face.

"God."

The divine radiance swiftly left Christian and he looked lost and bewildered. He glanced around and a confused look took over his expression. He moved to speak, but his mouth wouldn't work like he wanted it to.

He could hear Percy and Annabeth in the background. Grover was yelling something about a fire.

He tried to hug William, but fell through him into darkness.

**To be continued…**

**Sorry it has taken so long to update. I have been really busy with schoolwork. I hope all my reviewers are doing well. I know Christian keeps passing out, but it takes a lot of energy to be a hidden deity.**

**-Flora**


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